The Weekend of Twinning is an annual initative organized annually by The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding(FFEU),in cooperation with the World Jewish Congress and the Islamic Society of North America, that encourages Muslims and Jews, Mosques, and Synagogues, Imams and Rabbis, to hold joint programming with the goalof building ties of communication, reconciliation, and cooperation between Muslims and Jews.
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At a time of heightened economic difficulty and recurring natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy, Muslims and Jews in 18 cities across North America and Britain joined together during the 5th Annual Weekend of Twinning to provide nourishing meals to hungry and homeless people and to participate in learning/networking events highlighting the common moral imperative in Islam and Judaism to feed the hungry.
The Weekend of Twinning is an initiative spearheaded every November and December by FFEU based on the concept of synagogues, mosques and Muslim and Jewish student, women’s and young leadership groups in countries around the world forming partnerships and holding joint programs with the goal of building ties of communication, reconciliation and cooperation between Muslims and Jews. This year, there were more than 100 twinning events in 20 countries on 4 continents. Another set of FFEU-sponsored twinning programs will take place in Southern Hemisphere countries like Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Australia and New Zealand in March, 2013.
Among the cities where Muslim-Jewish Feeding the Hungry events took place were Toronto, Minneapolis, Binghamton, NY, Boston, Manhattan, Morristown, NJ, New Brunswick, NJ, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Denver, Los Angeles and Manchester, England. Muslims and Jews in Brooklyn and Long Island also came together to offer nourishing meals, warm blankets, winter coats and nourishing meals to victims of Hurricane Sandy. FFEU’s primary collaborators in the nationwide ‘Feeding the Hungry’ effort were Muslims Against Hunger, a network of volunteer communities across North America dedicated to helping the hungry and homeless, and Masbia, a nonprofit soup kitchen network and food pantry providing hot, nutritious meals for New Yorkers in need. In collaboration with FFEU, Unity Productions Foundation, a not-for-profit film production foundation dedicated to creating peace through the media, has produced a film trailer about the Muslim Jewish Feeding the Hungry campaign during the Weekend of Twinning which can be accessed by clicking the following link: http://youtu.be/PTXaVjJcQTg
A ‘Virtual Twinning’ that linked Muslims and Jews from diverse locations around the world such as Pakistan, Morocco, Israel, Germany, Poland, Britain and the United States via Internet connection to discuss building strong Muslim-Jewish relations across national boundaries.
• In London, the UK Imams and Rabbis Council held a two part symposium entitled: Religious Moderation in an Age of Extremism: Authenticity, Security, and The Human Terrain of Conflict with events at the House of Lords and the Defense Academy of the United Kingdom.
• In Paris, an International Muslim-Jewish women’s event was held at the renowned Galerie d’Art-Espace Culturel de Mme Christiane Peugeot. The event featured readings of works by Muslim and Jewish writers and poets and a performance of rare Judeo-Arab music from North Africa.
• In Detroit, Muslim and Jewish young professionals gathered at a local community center for a friendly basketball tournament and social get-together where they discussed how to work together going forward for the betterment of Detroit.
• In Toronto, Muslims and Jews gathered at the Noor Cultural Centre under the aegis of the Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims (CAJM) for a lecture and discussion focusing on Religious Freedom in Canada and Jewish and Muslim perspectives on being a religious minority.
• In Bethesda, Muslim and Jewish teens from synagogues and mosques around the Greater Washington Area gathered in Meadowbrook Park in Bethesda, Maryland to do clean up and mulching work and then hold a pizza celebration.
• In New Orleans, members of Temple Sinai and Masjid Rahim in New Orleans went together to hospitals and nursing homes to visit ailing people of all backgrounds; thereby fulfilling the moral imperative in both faiths to visit the sick.
• In Los Angeles, Muslim and Jewish young professionals gathered under the aegis of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change, for an evening of storytelling, based on real life experiences of growing up Muslim and Jewish in Los Angeles.
• In Milan, Shaykh Abd al-Wahid Pallavicini, president of COREIS and Imam Yahya Pallavicini, imam of the Al Wahid Mosque were guests of Rav Alfonso Arbib, Chief Rabbi in Milan and Walker Meghnagi, President of the Jewish Community for a celebration of Jewish-Muslim cooperation in conjunction with the Saint Augustin Award for the Improvement of inter-religious Dialogue in the Mediterranean.
“On Thanksgiving, Jews and Muslims volunteer together despite Middle East violence"
“At Interfaith Luncheon, an Appeal for A Miracle”
“Muslims, Jews gather at Denver mosque to help feed the hungry”
“On Thanksgiving, Jews and Muslims volunteer together despite Middle East violence”
”Interfaith harmony between metro Detroit Jews, Muslims during tough times”
“The Weekend Of Twinning: Bringing The Spirit Of Thanksgiving Around The World”
”Jewish, Muslim students build bridges while fighting rages in Middle East”
“Muslim and Jewish volunteers join to feed the hungry”
'Twinning' in the District: Jews, Muslims hold interfaith dialogue”
Fourth Annual Weekend of TwinningJews and Muslims held the world’s largest dialogue as thousands of participants across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa participated last weekend in the 4th annual Weekend of Twinning. The 4th Annual Weekend of Twinning facilitated 125 events with participation in 26 countries in four continents. More than 250 Muslim and Jewish organizations participated in face-to-face encounters in cities around the world to celebrate commonalities, undertake joint social action projects and confront Islamaphobia and anti-Semitism together. Participating Muslim and Jewish organizations held their events over the weekend of November 18-20. Some events continued through the end of December. Social action initiatives included Muslims and Jews feeding the hungry and the homeless in Boston, New Jersey, Toronto and Washington, DC. The 4th Annual Weekend of Twinning came to an end on Sunday, December 18 with a Virtual (Online) Twinning Event; a global conversation linking up nearly 30 members of the twinning community in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Britain, Austria, Ukraine, Israel and Pakistan.
Third Annual Weekend of TwinningThe 3rd annual Weekend of Twinning became a world-wide phenomenon as tens of thousands of Muslims and Jews in more than 120 synagogues and 120 mosques in 22 countries on four continents—including the State of Israel—attended events bringing together members of the two communities to celebrate commonalities in the two faith traditions and to work together for their joint benefit. The 3rd Annual Weekend of Twinning kicked off with a ‘Virtual Twinning’ on October 31, an on-line worldwide town hall bringing together youthful participants of the Muslim Jewish Conference including Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel, Morocco, Nigeria, Morocco, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Sweden, France, Britain, and Canada. The young adults logged in to hear reports of twinning events around the world and to discuss how to use the Internet to spread Jewish-Muslim dialogue globally, including to Muslim countries where there are few or no Jews. The Weekend of Twinning was held after a tumultuous summer that resulted in an increase in anti-Muslim sentiments across the U.S. relating to the plans to build an Islamic community center near the former site of the World Trade Center in N.Y. “The targeting this summer of Muslim communities in New York, Tennessee and elsewhere demonstrate that we as a country have a long way to go until all men and women are accepted as equals,” said Rabbi Marc Schneier. “I am proud to see so many join in on the Weekend of Twinning. Rather than joining in the chorus of non-acceptance, they are choosing instead to confront Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism and bigotry head-on. The Weekend of Twinning has time and time again shown us that Jews and Muslims can not only live together peacefully as neighbors, but also partner together to build a better community at-large."
Second Annual Weekend of TwinningThe 2nd Annual Weekend of Twinning more than doubled in size from the 2008 event and jumped the Atlantic Ocean, as thousands of Muslims and Jews from across North America and Europe came together to break bread, pray, perform community service and pledge to nurture ties of friendship and trust between their communities in the world’s largest gathering of Muslims and Jews. After a kickoff event in Chicago, more than 100 mosques and 100 synagogues held one-on-one programs across the United States, Canada and seven countries in Europe, including Britain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Netherlands. In France, where Muslim Jewish tensions have been especially high, 20 mosques and 20 synagogues twinned with each other, offering a powerful refutation to the idea that reconciliation between the two faith communities is impossible. “The overwhelming success of the Weekend of Twinning makes clear that Muslims and Jews across North America and Europe are avid to connect with each other and to build a movement dedicated to nurturing ties of communication, reconciliation and cooperation between our two communities, said Rabbi Marc Schneier.
First Women's Twinning Event in BrusselsThe First Women's Twinning Event in Brussels held Sunday 13 November 2011 at Café La Porteuse d’eau, Avenue Jean Volders 48a 1060 Bruxelles. Muslim and Jewish women from around Belgium met at the charming Café La Porteuse d’eau over coffee and cakes for a discussion of “Femininity in Judaism and Islam”. The conveners of the event, Aicha Haddou of Brussels, and Nadine Iarchy-Zuker, are the originators of the Muslim-Jewish women’s twinning events, which are taking place this year in eight countries around the world. In a historic event aimed at strengthening Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States and Canada, more than 40 mosques and more than 40 synagogues across the continent
First Annual Weekend of Twinningwill link up for a Weekend of Twinning of Mosques and Synagogues Across North America on November 21-23, 2008. The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding will play the chief coordinating role in the Weekend of Twinning in consultation with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).
Members of Staten Island Muslim and Jewish faith communities build bridges
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In two historic firsts for Staten Island, Temple Israel Reform Congregation of Staten Island and Noor Al-Islam Society announced they will participate in the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding's "Weekend of Twinning."
Muslim and Jewish Volunteers Feed the Hungry by Cooking 350 Meals Sunday
Project co-sponsored by the Muslims Against Hunger Project, Rutgers University Shalom-Salaam, and the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding to cook 350 meals for the homeless in the NY/NJ area.
‘Twinning’ project brings Muslims and Jews together
Twinning’ project brings Muslims and Jews together: Programs are educational endeavors, with Jews and Muslims observing and partaking in one another’s traditions, such as festive meals. Others are joint social service projects.
Jews and Muslims gather around the world for a ‘Weekend of Twinning’
Jews and Muslims gather around the world for a ‘Weekend of Twinning’ with 125 meetings set to take place at 250 Jewish and Muslim institutions in 26 as part of FFEU's “Weekend of Twinning” project.
Thousands take part in world-wide twinning events of Muslim and Jewish institutions
The Weekend of Twinning kicked off FFEU’s Muslim Jewish programming for the upcoming year. The Coordinating Committee of the Gathering of European Muslim and
Jewish Leaders will take place in Europe. In March, FFEU will host the first Mission of Latin American Muslim and Jewish Leaders to Washington, DC.
Rabbi, imam share bima on day of ‘twinning’
Prominent Imam speaking at Congregation Beth-El in Edison on Nov. 15 as part of the third annual international mosques and synagogues “twinning” program sponsored by the World Jewish Congress, the Islamic Society of North America, and the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
Largest world gathering of Muslims, Jews kicks off in U.S.
Largest world gathering of Muslims, Jews kicks off in U.S. More than 200 Mosques and Synagogues from 22 countries to participate in Twinnings, 3rd annual ethnic understanding weekend.
Mosque, synagogue to hold dual services in Savannah
The city's oldest Jewish synagogue and oldest Islamic mosque are coming together this weekend, honoring Jewish-Islamic relations. Members of the Masjid Jihad mosque will join the congregation of Mickve Israel for Shabbat Services and dinner Friday at the synagogue. Imam Maajid Ali will speak.
Begraafplaats Zeeburg wordt opgeknapt
Afgelopen zondag was ik met veel Joodse en islamitische vrijwillgers aanwezig bij de eerste opruimingswerkzaamheden aan de Amsterdams-Joodse begraafplaats Zeeburg.
Wenn der Jude mit dem Muslim
Wenn der Jude mit dem Muslim Von Freitag bis Sonntag laden Gemeinden weltweit zum Twinning Weekend ein
À Ris-Orangis, juifs et musulmans disent non à l'esprit de chapelle
Ce week-end, synagogues et mosquées ont fait portes ouvertes. Depuis deux ans, l'Amitié Judéo-Musulmane de France (AJMF), à l'initiative de cette opération, encourage les rencontres entre islam et judaïsme. Le principe : des communautés juives et musulmanes s'invitent respectivement dans leurs lieux de culte.
Mosque-synagogue twinning drive crosses the Atlantic
An innovative campaign to build grass-roots dialogue between Jews and Muslims in North America has crossed the Atlantic and taken off in Europe. The “Weekend of Twinning of Mosques and Synagogues,” which began last year with about 100 houses of worship in North America, expanded this year to includeevents in eight European countries.
Kosher Computing
The joke is supposed to start "Four rabbis and two imams walk into a restaurant," but last night it wasn't a laughing matter at all. It was, in fact, a serious effort on the part of many in the New Orleans community to foster trust and understanding between two divergent faith groups.
Jews and Muslims build grassroots ties in a time of polarizing differences
Rabbi Uri Topolosky, left, leads members of Congregation Beth Israel and Masjid Abu Bakr al Siddiq on a tour of the ruined and empty building in Lakeview that Beth Israel used to occupy. For a while in New Orleans Thursday, disparate Jewish and Muslim worlds with little prior contact met and introduced themselves to each other, chatted amiably, even shared a little humor
N.J. Synagogue Welcomes Imam
Father Beck attends service with Rabbi Gewirtz and Imam W. Deen Shareef
Faiths' new starts and teamwork mark 2008 Catholics, Buddhists and Jains built worship sites. Synagogues and mosques partnered up.
Jews, Muslims partner to fight Islamophobia, anti-Semitism Throughout weekend, 50 mosques and 50 synagogues representing over 100,000 Muslims and Jews throughout US, Canada will join together to confront Islamaphobia and anti- Semitism.
Jews, Muslims to discuss ways that they're alike Fifty mosques and 50 synagogues will participate in the Weekend of Twinning, which came out of the National Summit of Imams and Rabbis held last year in New York, hosted by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
U.S. and Canadian Jews, Muslims seek dialogue It's been quite a year. Muslim and Jewish leaders across the United States and Canada plan to meet this weekend to discuss ways to fight anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia.
Week-end d'amitiés judéo-musulmanes Un couscous commun réunit dimanche les membres des communautés juive et musulmane de Ris-Orangis, dans l'Essonne. Une communauté musulmane se rend dans une synagogue de la rue Buffault à Paris… Ce sont des manifestations emblématiques du week-end de l'amitié judéo-musulmane de France (AJMF) qui a débuté vendredi soir.
Project aims to build better relations for Muslims, Jews Worshipers at Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, a synagogue in West Newton, and the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland spend the weekend getting to know one another as part of an international “twinning’’ project that aims to combat anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia by building relationships between Jews/Muslims.
Jewish and Muslim profiles in courage At a time when Judaeophobia - a more accurate term than anti-Semitism in the context of Israeli-Arab or Jewish-Muslim relations - is on a stark upswing in the Arab street, it is important for us to pay tribute to the efforts of the handful of Jewish and Muslim leaders who are fighting against it
Third annual Muslim-Jewish ‘twinning’ launched Third annual Muslim-Jewish ‘twinning’ launched with free medical screenings and a clean-up day were part of a U.S. bridge-building group's third season of Muslim-Jewish "twinning" events.
Russian Jews Meet With Muslims Although he lives in a borough with a sizeable Muslim population and leads a congregation of Bukharian Jews, a community that hails from a mostly Muslim region of the former Soviet Union, Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov says that, until Sunday, he never visited a mosque.
